She is Four

Our Elsa girl turned four years old on Friday. Four years, and poof --

she is a little lady.

Or, make that Ladybug Girl.

But before the haircut or the birthday party, there was more celebration for this little one of ours.

On Friday morning, Elsa awoke to a brand new bike, complete with training wheels, sitting in the living room. Her daddy worked the night before to add a basket to the front and a fabulous purple bell to the handlebars. She was quite thrilled with her gift, and "rode" to Miss Gabriela's that morning. I was pushing Avie in the stroller with one hand, and guiding/somewhat pulling Elsa's handlebars with the other. It was a workout, but one that was well worth it. Elsa was so excited.

I dropped Elsa off, and then ran home to let Avie nap and do a few things around the house. At noon, Avie and I went back to Gabriela's and took part in Elsa's playgroup birthday celebration. It went pretty much as it did last year, and was again just a really special time. It is a celebration that does not really call for a camera, but I sure wish I had video of her walking around the room, hand in hand with her trail of friends, and walking around the table with such pride on her face. She felt so special and loved -- you could tell, as it showed on her face as she twirled her silk cape in step, and proudly donned the gold crown upon her head. She was almost curtsying as she walked, head held high. What a sweet time. And it provided such a good contrast, with its quiet narration and slow pace, in relation to the high-energy excitement of her celebration on Saturday.

After Avie napped Friday afternoon, we headed out to Salon Red Kids for Elsa's third haircut. The first time, I could hardly let any of it go. A little more went the second time around. But this time? This time her locks were all over the floor. I was actually going for a shoulder-length cut, and this is what we ended up with. I am still missing her longer hair somewhat, but Elsa is pleased with it, especially enjoying the fact that it does not really tangle at all. We have been struggling with tangles at every combing session, and when we talked about getting her hair cut, she said she wanted it as short as Daddy's. I convinced her that something about the length of Ladybug Girl's hair might be a bit nicer.

Since it was her birthday, Elsa had the privilege of choosing the restaurant for dinner. She chose Figo, and we all had a nice time eating our gluten-free pasta. She even got to choose the pepper grinder for our table (all the pepper grinders are painted differently, and this is how they tell which order goes with which table) -- pink, purple, and flowered. Someone took the "ladybug" one prior to us ordering, so she was a little perturbed until deciding the flowery one was a good runner-up.

Elsa opted for dessert at home over frozen yogurt out, so she and Daddy enjoyed some chocolate ice cream together before bedtime. The girl was exhausted.

And she still seemed tired the next morning, as we prepared for her ladybug party at the Children's Playground at Stone Mountain Park. Elsa really knew what the deal was this year, and so I pretty much let her invite the friends she wanted to be at her party. Of course, she wanted to add more at the last minute, which was not totally feasible, but I think she was super excited about those who did attend. I was not aware that the Yellow Daisy Festival was going on the same weekend, so that caused for a bit of a traffic jam coming into the park, but thankfully the playground was nearly deserted, which was fabulous. We claimed the same pavilion we did at Elsa's second birthday party, and laid out our spread of BBQ, sides, and, of course, the ladybug birthday cake.

Elsa dressed up as Ladybug Girl, and some of her friends dressed up a bit too. Belle was wearing a dress with ladybug print, Christian came as Batman, and Olivia was wearing wings as well. The kids had a ball, running around together, playing in the sandbox, giggling, and just generally having fun being kids. It was fantastic.

Belle

These two were killing me -- too stinkin' cute!

Batman!

Jill and Everett

Naomi and Olivia

Noah

Opening gifts!

First-ever princess dress-up clothing.

Friends

Toward the end of the party, when several had already gone home, there was a downpour. And us parents who remained just let the kids revel in it. They were soaked to the bone, but they were having the time of their lives. Sadly, Elsa's wings and antenna had to go in the trashcan by the end of it all, but so worth every penny of the ten dollars that was washed away.

Big yawn.

And they are out for the count... five minutes down the road.

In princess outfit, immediately after getting home.

At four, our Elsa is really starting to mature. In just the past month or so, tantrums have become a lot less frequent, and you can tell she is wavering on the edge of toddler/little girl. She is starting to abide by the rules a little more than totally revolting against them.

She talks and talks and talks. She is so interested in the world around her, and will ask questions that sometimes stop me in my tracks. It amazes me to see her brain working. She still absolutely adores having books read to her, and would probably tolerate it all day long, if given the opportunity. And she doesn't seem to have a favorite right now. She will just go from one to the next.

Elsa also loves music. Her favorite CD in the car at the moment is one called "Rain for Roots," which is a collection of songs about various Bible stories. It is a little folky, a little bluegrassy, like a lot of the music we tend to play in the car these days. She likes to hear a song over and over until she can really sing along. And with this particular CD, she is really interested in what the songs are about.

The girl loves to laugh. If I can just remember to find something funny when it seems everything is going downhill, her frown will usually turn upside down. She just simply likes to giggle. And it is awesome.

Imaginative play is huge these days. Elsa will get lost in play with her stuffed animals or her dollhouse people or her Legos or, just yesterday, with paperdolls and a bag of wine bottle corks. Rocks, sand, sticks. It doesn't matter what it is -- she will envelop it in story.

And she just loves being outside. I cannot wait until we can get the backyard transformed into more of a play area, as I know it will be well utilized. A little along...

We are enjoying our Elsa with every passing day. She still has her times of bullheadedness. She definitely wants to get her way. But she also has more sweet times. There are more cuddles than ever before. More "I love yous." And I am trying hard to remember to treasure each and every one. I occasionally shed a tear or two as I think how quickly these four years have passed. The memories are there for sure. But those years have just flitted by. And it is more apparent now than ever in this four-year-old that the baby is gone. And that kind of wrenches my gut. Until I think ahead. Because as I look into the future, I see this girl turning into a person with whom I cannot wait to share these years still to come.

Happy birthday, girl. You are FOUR. And you are still amazing.